KASAN, a government in the eastern part of European Russia, lying between N. Lat. 54. 10. and 56. 45., and E. Long. 46. 20. and 51. 45., and bounded on the N. by Viatka, E. by Orenburg, S. by Simbirsk, and W. by Novgorod. Area 23,947 square miles. The surface is generally flat, with here and there ranges of low hills. In the S.E. are some long off-shoots of the Ural Mountains. The principal rivers are the Volga and the Kama, the former entering the government from the W., the latter from the E. They meet near the centre, and, uniting their streams, pursue a southern course into Simbirsk. Besides these, there are many smaller streams, and numerous lakes abounding in fish. The climate, although very severe in winter, is, on the whole, salubrious. The rivers are covered with ice from November to the end of March, but the rest of the year is mild, and apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, and other fruits, come to perfection in the open air. The soil is fertile, but agriculture is very imperfectly carried on. Sufficient crops of rye, wheat, hemp, flax, &c., are raised for home consumption. Extensive forests of pine, fir, and oak, occupy nearly one-half of the surface. Bears, wolves, and various kinds of game abound. Besides agriculture and fishing, the inhabitants find employment in the numerous distilleries, tanneries, oil and saw-mills, and potash works. Spinning and weaving are also common pursuits. Pop. (1851) 1,347,352, of whom about one-half are Russians, the rest being Tartars, Circassians, Chuvasses, &c.
The khanat, or kingdom of Kasan, was founded by the Tartars in 1441, and comprised the present Russian governments of Kasan, Pensa, Perm, Simbirsk, and Viatka. It was subjected to Russia in 1552.